Summer Wine Sippin’, French Style

Warm weather √, Narnia-style forest abundance √, Updated summer wine list √

By MANDY MURRY

With fresh, mountain air breeze floating across your skin and the sun kissing your patio or deck, sipping wine outdoors is always a summertime pleasure. If you have traveled to France, you may recall what it feels like to sip a beautiful wine at a local café while taking in the sights, tastes, and sounds. Wine lovers in the mountains of North Carolina can do more than daydream about French wines with our Avenue des Champs-Élysées roundup of French summer wines and pairings.

Life is better with bubbles

A favorite artisanal bubbly from France is Jean-Luc Joillot Crémant de Bourgogne. While not considered a Champagne, as it is not produced in the Champagne region but with the same grapes of 70% Pinot Noir from Pommard and 30% Chardonnay, this bubbly creates the same flavor, yet sells for half the cost. Exclusive to P. Comms Int’l- (owned by good friends of mine, Steve and Gloria Pignatiello), this Crémant consistently beats out prestige champagnes in blind tastings, and is extremely pleasing on the palate, not to mention a personal favorite.

Where to Buy: VASO DE VINO- South of Asheville

Where to Enjoy: Madison’s Old Edwards Inn, Cullasaja Club, Chattooga Club, Rhubarb (Asheville), Snowbird Mountain Lodge

Fun Fact: This bubbly is the house bubbly at Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.

Pairing: Bubbles go with just about everything or by itself as an apéritif!

Abundant notes of bold lightness in this Chardonnay

Produced in his grandfather’s old-style of Chablis, winemaker Francois Servin delivers PREMIER CRU quality with Marcel Servin AOC Chablis. This Chardonnay comes from a single vineyard (Pargues) in the old part of Chablis. Prior to WWI, this vineyard was designated as PREMIER CRU but lost its status from the French Government due to being destroyed by the war and unplanted for many years after. Francois delivers a higher quality wine than its price.

Where to Buy: VASO DE VINO- South of Asheville

Where to Enjoy: Madison’s Old Edwards Inn, Cullasaja Club, Chattooga Club, Rhubarb (Asheville), Snowbird Mountain Lodge

Fun Fact: Domaine Servin estate wines are widely marketed, but the Marcel Servin wines are personal family wines imported exclusively by Steve and Gloria of P. Comms Int’l.

Pairing: Any shellfish, such as crab, shrimp, lobster. Lighter fish, such as trout. Oysters.

Mood: easy going Pinot Noir

If you are looking for a soft, approachable red, Claudie Jobard Rully Chaume, is an incredible value from one of the most esteemed winemaking families in all of Burgundy. Produced in a lesser-known village, the savings are passed on to you, the wine connoisseur, as you are not paying for any reputation. The town (Rully) is known for white wines, but this single-vineyard produces this Pinot Noir by an 8th generation winemaker. This is a garagiste wine- the mom and daughter producing the wine have removed the cars from their garage to produce it.

Where to Buy: VASO DE VINO- South of Asheville

Where to Enjoy: Madison’s Old Edwards Inn, Cullasaja Club, Chattooga Club, Rhubarb (Asheville), Snowbird Mountain Lodge

Fun Fact: The winemaker is the daughter of one of the most famous winemakers in Burgundy in the past 40 years. 

Pairing: Duck, salmon, wild game, roast beef or strip steak.

When red is calling

Jean-Luc Joillot Bourgogne Passetoutgrain. This wine is made with two-thirds Gamay and one-third Pinot Noir, offering the fruitiness of a Gamay upfront and the structure of Pinot Noir arriving mid-palate. It has jammy cherry and cranberry flavors with a touch of peppery spice and is very appealing and a rare find. 

Where to Buy: VASO DE VINO- South of Asheville

Where to Enjoy: Madison’s Old Edwards Inn, Cullasaja Club, Chattooga Club, Rhubarb (Asheville), Snowbird Mountain Lodge

Fun Fact: All the grapes for this wine are grown in Pommard, which lends itself to more flavor.

Pairing: Spicy foods, BBQ, it is the best inexpensive pairing with roast turkey - hands down.

Learn more about P. Comms Int’l at pcommswine.com